Alaska's Senators Spar Over 'Bipartisan' Campaign Ad

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski has demanded that endangered Democratic Sen. Mark Begich stop running a campaign ad that makes it appear he has her support in the Alaska midterm election.

An attorney for Murkowski has sent a "cease and desist" request to Begich's campaign to remove the commercial featuring a photo of the two Alaska senators standing together, according to the Huffington Post.

"The advertisement is factually incorrect," the letter reads. "It also misuses Sen. Murkowski’s image, and implies her support, without her permission — and in fact, over her known objections.

"Sen. Murkowski has repeatedly made clear that she wants a Republican elected to Alaska’s other Senate seat. Sen. Begich should run on his own record and not attempt to deceive the public into believing he has support that does not exist."

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The letter also states that Murkowski did not give her permission for her photo to be used by Begich, and it claims that the man who identifies himself as "lifelong Republican" in the ad is not.

Begich, who is facing an uphill fight in November to be re-elected, has been hyping his record of voting with Murkowski on various issues while being targeted by the GOP for his support of Obamacare.

His campaign’s communications director, Max Croes, defended the ad, saying Alaskans have "responded positively to the message that Alaska’s congressional delegation works together across party lines to do what’s best for Alaska."

Croes added, "Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich vote together as much as 80 percent of the time and more than any other Democrat-Republican pair in the U.S. Senate, a fact proven by an independent fact-check organization."

Begich, who is seen one of the more vulnerable Democratic incumbents in November, will learn who he’ll face in the midterms after Alaska’s Republican primary on Aug. 19. Former state Attorney General Dan Sullivan is the front-runner in that over Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell.